Affliction, Part 7
by Salamander
Summary: Ky's family (Lucy, Hank, and Patric) leave, but something's going on that isn't right. Some dirty wordies in this part.


Disclaimer: Anybody recognizable doesn't belong to me. "Affliction" is still an Econoline Crush song. Patric, Kylee, Lucy, Hank, and the elusive Damian (whose name isn't even mentioned but who's talked about) are the only characters that belong to me. I hate my Spanish classes. Oh. Wait. That doesn't exactly belong in a disclaimer, now does it? I don't care.  
  
Notes: Sorry it took so long. College is spanking my ass in the worst way right now. Hope this helps some people with some things in this story. And if it only confuses you more, it happens. :)  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Kylee and Patric walked hand in hand. They wouldn't be seeing each other in God knew how long. It scared them both. They were headed toward the front of the school where their parents, Sophie, Peter, and the rest of the Cliffhangers were waiting to say their goodbyes.  
  
Before they made it around the large cabin office, Kylee gently pulled Patric to a stop. "We have to talk."  
  
Patric frowned. "Oh?"  
  
Ky shifted uncomfortably. "Look, Kevin's bad news, so I don't want you doing anything that would piss him off, okay?"  
  
"Okay." Kevin already scared the wits out of Patric; the younger boy had no problem steering clear of his older brother.  
  
"Good." She took an envelope from the pocket of her baggie jeans. "Give this to him for me. He might be pissed, but it'll be at me. Not you. Don't worry."  
  
Patric frowned, looking almost angry. "Why? What are you doing with him?"  
  
"Nothing anymore. This will tell him I'm not interested in what he wanted to do."  
  
"What did he want to do?"  
  
Kylee let out an agitated breath. "Patric, -- "  
  
"No. What were you going to do?"  
  
No matter how she did it, she couldn't look at her brother without feeling guilty. Finally, Kylee melted under the pressure. "He was going to give me a whole bunch of hemp plants. I had to hide them for him. And I could use them however I wanted to as long as they were in fairly good shape when he got them back."  
  
Patric looked at her in a disbelieving way. "You're serious?"  
  
Ky nodded and looked down. "Yeah."  
  
Patric's mouth formed a tight scowl and his eyes began to fill with tears. "I can't believe you! I can't believe you! You have the chance of doing something good here, and you're so willing to blow it! Or maybe you're just trying to get at mom again! -- "  
  
"What?! No! -- "  
  
"Then what?!"  
  
Kylee bit her lip hard and threw up her hands. "I don't know! I mean, I need it. I need pot. It's the only thing keeping me sane. -- "  
  
"You have some with you, don't you?!"  
  
Ky was silent.  
  
"You do!"  
  
"Just a little. . . . "  
  
This time, Patric was the silent one.  
  
"I haven't used any of it. I don't plan on doing it, either."  
  
Patric took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming himself down. "What do you plan to do with it?"  
  
"I'm not sure. Yet, anyway."  
  
"Flush it. -- "  
  
"Patric! I can't do that! -- "  
  
"Why?!"  
  
Kylee opened her mouth to answer but couldn't. Why didn't she want to flush her weed? Because she might want to smoke it later. That wasn't something she was going to tell her brother.  
  
"You're going to keep it until you feel the need to smoke it."  
  
Ky frowned.  
  
"Do me a favor, Ky. Flush it."  
  
At that, Kylee's mouth pursed and she looked at her brother with anger. "Do you a favor?! Why do you think I'm giving you that note?! Do you realize how hard that was?!"  
  
Patric shrunk back a bit and frowned. "I hadn't realized. -- "  
  
"I know." Ky frowned and looked down. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. Sorry."  
  
Patric nodded. "Look, . . . just . . . think about flushing it, okay?"  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"We should go before they think something's wrong."  
  
"Yeah." With that, Patric took Kylee's hand back and they both walked around the building, completely serious because of their conversation.  
  
At the sight of her children's moods, Lucy frowned and leaned over toward Hank. "I told you they took too long. They talked about something. -- "  
  
"Stop being so paranoid, Lu. You didn't have a problem with them being together the rest of the week. -- "  
  
"I think I know my children a little better than you know them, Hank. -- "  
  
Hank shrugged. "Fine. Then what did they talk about?"  
  
Lucy frowned and stayed quiet, keeping a wary on her children and how they interacted with the Cliffhangers. Curiously, the Cliffhangers seemed to get along with Patric much better than they did Kylee; that sat well with Lucy.  
  
Hank chuckled. "I'll take that as an, 'I don't know.' -- "  
  
"Take it however you want to."  
  
Hank frowned at Lucy and then joined the group of teenagers. "It was wonderful meeting all of you. I'm sure that our Ky will benefit from your presence."  
  
Shelby snorted but stopped short of making a snide remark; Daisy had elbowed her sharply. Instead, Auggie spoke up. "It's a mutual thing. We all help each other."  
  
Ezra rolled his eyes at his roommate's cheesy comment. "Don't worry. We'll take good care of Ky."  
  
Kylee raised an eyebrow to that. Ezra was an odd character. She wasn't sure if she liked him or if he annoyed her. Daisy liked the guy, so he couldn't be that bad. But Ky, of all people, knew that the way people acted, and how much a person shows to another, depended on who that other person was.  
  
Hank reached around her and ruffled Patric's dark blonde hair. "We should be going, kiddo."  
  
Patric looked up at his stepfather and frowned. "Why so soon?"  
  
"Patric! Get over here now! We're leaving!" Lucy's mouth was pursed tightly and her arms were folded rigidly across her chest. She was leaned against their SUV in an eager stance.  
  
At the sound of his mother's almost threatening voice, Patric jumped and looked behind him and toward her. Ky and Hank turned toward her fast, too. Kylee's countenance changed to anger, and she turned to face Hank. "You promised that everything was -- "  
  
"It's fine. Really, Ky. Some days are just better than others. I wouldn't lie to you about something like this." At Hank's comment, Daisy couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. It hadn't seemed right, so why was Ky so willing to believe it?  
  
Kylee nodded. "Okay. Sorry. You're right. -- "  
  
"Damnit! I said get over here!" Lucy was tapping her foot impatiently.  
  
Ky whipped around toward her, but Patric put a firm hand on her shoulder and stopped her from saying anything. She roughly pulled away from her brother and threw up her hands. "Alright. Fine. Let that bitch run your life."  
  
Peter frowned. "We don't use that kind of language, Ky."  
  
"Speak for yourself."  
  
Lucy heard the comment, her features growing harder. "Let her be the primitive vulgarian." She slammed open the door, sat down with a huff, and slammed the door shut. Under her breath, so that very few people caught it, she muttered, "At least I don't have to deal with that little shithead anymore."  
  
Before Kylee could even retaliate, Patric flung himself onto her and whispered into her ear, "Stop! I have to travel with these people for over 8 hours. Please, . . . don't do anything."  
  
Kylee's face was almost red from anger but she nodded. "Fine." She sighed. "You guys have to go."  
  
Hank nodded, finally contributing to the conversation again. "That would be a good idea."  
  
Patric gripped Kylee's hand. "Come on. I brought something for you."  
  
Hank smiled at them and nodded a goodbye to the Cliffhangers and then stopped to say his goodbyes to Peter and Sophie. Patric led Ky to the SUV. When they reached it, she pulled away. "Why don't you get it out?"  
  
Patric looked at her with uncertainty. Finally, he nodded and went around the back and opened it. Ky took the opportunity to practically jumped into the passenger window. "Hey, mom."  
  
Lucy looked away. "What do you want?"  
  
Ky leaned closer to the woman and spoke so only her mother could hear. "We needed to talk."  
  
"I don't believe we did or do."  
  
"You hit Patric a lot?"  
  
Lucy's head jerked quickly, and she gave Ky a menacing look. "No."  
  
"Good. He's a cutie."  
  
"Being a 'cutie' doesn't save you. -- "  
  
"We really back to that sin and salvation crap, mom?"  
  
"No. Fuck it. I don't care anymore."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"I mean, I don't believe in it anymore. Just a slip up from my fanatical days."  
  
Kylee laughed. "And here I thought you were still a loony. -- "  
  
"I am not nuts. -- "  
  
"Okay. Fine. The only reason I decided to visit you was to inform you that if you touch him again, I'll kill you. And I will find out if you touch him. Not everyone in this family cares about its 'integrity.' I have my ways of finding things out. -- "  
  
Lucy laughed in a condescending manner. "And what would you do then? Face it, you have no power here."  
  
Understanding dawned on Kylee, and she almost fell out of the window. She managed to catch herself before she did, though. "Don't . . . don't you dare do anything to him. Jesus Christ, he's your son. Don't use him as a pawn. -- "  
  
"He's my son; I'll do with him as a wish. -- "  
  
"Please, mom! I know we hardly ever get along, but please listen to me. He's an innocent kid. I don't know how he managed to be that way in this family, but he has. Leave him alone."  
  
Lucy sighed. "Does he do anything for me?"  
  
Ky frowned. "Huh?"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
Lucy shrugged. "Too bad." With that, she forcefully pushed Ky out of the window and onto the ground. She then pushed a button, and the window began to close.  
  
Kylee frowned and stood up, dusting herself off. Talking to her mother wasn't usually that cryptic. She turned to see where Patric was and found him only a few feet behind her. "You hear any of that?"  
  
Patric frowned at the question and shook his head. "No. Why?"  
  
"Good."  
  
The boy shrugged. "Was it really worse than usual?"  
  
"Yeah. I didn't understand it."  
  
"But she's better."  
  
"I know."  
  
Patric tried to plaster a smile on his face, but it was hard. "Anyway, here's your present." He hefted forward a large guitar case. "Thought you might need to play real music and not just the rhythm of it."  
  
"Yeah, but you know what dad said about basses."  
  
Patric shook his head in a weird, almost hurt look. "Actually, I don't."  
  
"Oh." Ky frowned. "Sorry." She walked over to him and took the case. "He said that the bass was the heartbeat of music."  
  
Patric smiled. "Makes sense."  
  
"Right. He said the lyrics were the brain of the music. The drums the veins. The guitar the soul. . . . " Ky smiled back at her brother. "He could get poetic when he was in the right mood."  
  
"I've heard."  
  
Ky inspected the guitar case for a moment and smiled. "This was dad's case."  
  
Patric smiled proudly. "I know. Mom didn't notice, though."  
  
"That's good."  
  
"It wasn't that hard to find. It was just in the attic."  
  
"Bet she has dad's instruments hidden away in Fort Knox."  
  
"Yeah, well . . . "  
  
Ky sighed and looked at her brother intensely. "You could have gotten in trouble for me with this case."  
  
"I know, but I don't care. -- "  
  
"I'm thankful. I am. Actually, I probably needed this. I can't understand why you'd ever want to help me with anything, though. -- "  
  
"Because you're the only one who ever helps me."  
  
Kylee frowned deeply at that. "Yeah . . . umm . . . and I can't really help or look after you anymore. I'm kind of stuck in the middle of the woods. Sooo . . . while I'm gone, you listen to everything mom says. You do everything she tells you to. You just . . . act. Okay?"  
  
Patric winced but nodded. "I know you're right."  
  
"Okay. Good."  
  
Hank finally pulled himself from the conversation he was having with Peter and Sophie and walked over to the SUV. "Better say bye to your sister, Patric. We're leaving."  
  
Patric swallowed down a lump and flung himself on his sister. Ky hugged him back fiercely and kissed him on his forehead. "You just be good, PD."  
  
"Yeah. You be good, too, Ky."  
  
After a lingering moment, they pulled apart. Ky watched as Patric entered the SUV. Hank had already gotten in and had started the engine, so when Patric got in, Hank began pulling away. Ky felt utterly defeated by her mother, and everyone around her saw the almost lost look she had. Her whole body was limp, and she didn't seem to have a grasp as to everyone's actions.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Several minutes into the car ride, Hank glanced over toward Lucy. "So, what did Ky have to say?"  
  
The woman smiled somewhat triumphantly but looked back at her son through the mirror in the sun-visor. "We'll talk about it later."  
  
Hank's eyebrows rose. "She really hadn't figured it out?"  
  
Lucy frowned at her husband in an almost angry manner. "I said later."  
  
He frowned back. "Right. Sorry."  
  
And in the backseat, Patric tried to hide further into his seat. Something wasn't right, especially since Hank had something to do with it. Hank was never involved. What was going on?  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The other Cliffhangers were keeping their distance. It wasn't that Ky's temper was flaring. It was that she seemed . . . depressed. And they respected her need to be alone, for whatever reason. Well, at least for a while.  
  
The Cliffhangers, minus Kylee, were in a clutter, discussing their missing classmate's family. They also were keeping an eye on the girl. The weird thing was that she didn't even seem to notice.  
  
Ky was lost in thought. How had her mother beaten her? Ugh! And now, Patric was defenseless.  
  
Oh well, . . . there was nothing she could do about it. That scared her for two reasons. The first being that she was scared to death for her brother. The second being that she had given up thinking of ways to protect him so quickly. But no matter how she thought it through, she couldn't do anything for the kid.  
  
She shook her head and pried her attention from that and forced it onto the guitar case. Maybe a little song would help clear her mind. . . .  
  
Gently, Kylee rubbed her hands over the smooth, black case she remembered her father carrying when she had been a child. Slowly, she undid the latches and opened the case. Only to find that her acoustic guitar wasn't in it. Instead, a very expensive-looking guitar stared at her in all its glistening glory. It was made from a dark wood and had been inlayed with abalone shell. Not only had the case been her father's, the guitar had been, too. She remembered him playing for her with it on a regular basis.  
  
In fact, his name had been put into the guitar. It, too, had been done in abalone shell and had been done on the side of the body. Kylee gently rubbed her finger over it and let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.  
  
"What the hell have you done, Patric?" She couldn't help but smile. Maybe the kid wasn't so defenseless. Who knew he would have it in him to sneak around to not only get the case and guitar but to also find out where it had been. Suddenly, she was feeling much better.  
  



End file.
